A Walking Shoe For Finicky Feet! By peatfire on Feb 05, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I'm an avid walker, and this is my sixth pair of Asics Gel Kayano shoes in the past three years. I have wide, very blister prone feet, and this is the first brand I've found that doesn't require breaking in. Most of the previous incarnations have had uppers that were partly made of mesh, which is not the most practical material if you live in the Northeast and walk in all weather conditions. The pearl/ chocolate/silver version of the Walker 6 still has the mesh upper, so I bought the white/silver/sky blue version which has a synthetic leather upper. They aren't very fashionable, but I can walk in them in the rain and snow. They are lightweight compared to other brands such as New Balance, and most importantly to me, they come in narrow, medium and wide.

Many athletic shoes run a little small, and the Asics are no exception. I have to go up half a size from the size I normally take.